RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - After receiving a flurry of emails from residents about the automation of remote gates for evacuation use, the Rancho Murieta Association directors took a few minutes to address the issue at the Jan. 21 board meeting.

The directors also received an entertaining report on geese control and effectively approved a revised trail map proposed by developers. Additionally, the board bid farewell to Director Renee Bechthold, who is stepping down. (See separate stories in this issue for more details.)

Since 16 residents were concerned enough to send emails about automating remote gates, the board expected some to attend the meeting, as they had on Dec. 10. Although none of them showed up, General Manager Rod Hart and two board members acknowledged their concerns during a brief discussion.

Director Scott Adams stressed that the board takes emergency preparedness very seriously. He said the board would continue looking into gate automation and would eventually decide.

Board President Patrick O’Hern also announced he was referring the issue to the association’s Perimeter Security Ad Hoc Committee so that group could re-evaluate the information and report back to the full board for a discussion.  O’Hern also clarified that the board was moving forward and was trying to reach a resolution. 

The brief discussion marked the latest chapter in a long-standing dispute between the association board and the Rancho Murieta Regional Fire Safe Council, led by its outspoken board president, retired firefighter Greg Pryor.

The Fire Safe Council has proposed automating Escuela Gate on the north and the Bent Grass Court gates on the south, allowing them to be opened alongside the two main gates during an evacuation. Under the council's proposal, the incident commander or their designee would use a cell phone to unlock the gates with a code stored at the interagency fire dispatch center. 

The assocaition’s position, as has been expressed by General Manager Rod Hart and O'Hern in 2024 meetings, is that the gates should only be opened once a fire responder is on the scene to direct traffic. Both have emphasized that the health and safety of the community are their top priorities. They have warned that opening the emergency gates before a first responder's arrival could lead to chaos, mainly if a resident crashes while exiting onto the roadway.

Pryor attended the Dec. 10 board meeting in a last-ditch effort to sway the board after two previous efforts facilitated by then-Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost, failed to gain traction. He read a two-page letter outlining why the Escuela Gate should be automated for evacuations. Two other Fire Safe Council members and three residents also voiced strong support for the proposal.

However, since the six individuals spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, the board did not respond, aside from one clarifying remark from Adams. As a general practice, following a state law recommendation, the RMA Board does not respond to public comments except in limited circumstances.

An interesting wrinkle that emerged was Pryor’s focus solely on automating the Escuela Gate when reading his letter. When River Valley Times asked him why the Bent Grass gates were not included, Pryor explained that the Fire Safe Council will seek assistance from the Rancho Murieta Community Services District for automating those gates, as they are located on district property.

Following the December board meeting, a Fire Safe Council supporter posted Pryor’s letter on social media, along with a plea urging residents to email the RMA Board before the January meeting.

Hart acknowledged the feedback during his general manager’s report. He urged anyone with a concern about emergency evacuation to reach out to him. “It is important to note that we are doing something, and it is very important that we use due diligence in that process,” he said. “My door is always open.”

When asked about the emails afterward, Hart said residents submitted 15 emails and one letter. Two opposed automating the gates, while among the 14 supporters, several expressed concerns about being locked inside a gate while trying to escape a fire.

Adams said the board would continue to research every aspect of gate automation such as their functionality and the authority to open the gates. “We take emergency preparedness very seriously,” he said. “We’ll continue to look into this, and, eventually the board will make a decision.”

Adams also noted that he had prepared more comments but was cutting them short because Pryor didn’t attend the meeting.

O’Hern announced that he was referring the gate automation issue to the Perimeter Security Ad Hoc Committee, which is being chaired by Directors Chris Childs and Tom Reimers so they can re-evaluate the information and bring it back to the board for discussion. 

“As a clarification, we are moving forward and trying to reach a resolution,” he said.

Director Dan Carrillo proposed an alternative evacuation option, reporting that he had conducted his own tests using a grinder and bolt cutters to cut through the chains securing the gates in less than a minute. He expressed confidence that enough community members have access to these tools and could quickly open the gates in an emergency.

Carrillo has also heard other people say they would ram the gate if it were a matter of life or death. “I don’t see the need at this point for the automated gates,” he said. “I believe we have a lot of options.”

O’Hern said anything said that night would be considered by the entire board. “We will address that once we get clarification and an evaluation of what’s going on,” he said.